The George Washington University School of Nursing and MedStar Washington Hospital Center Partner to Offer Nursing Student Education and Scholarships

Newswise — WASHINGTON—Washington Squared (W2), a new partnership between the George Washington University School of Nursing and MedStar Washington Hospital Center, offers scholarship benefits and the promise of employment to GW’s accelerated bachelor of science in nursing (B.S.N.) students during the next six years.

This partnership is called “Washington Squared” because it brings together the rigor of the GW School of Nursing academic program and the robust clinical experience of the Hospital Center.

Under the agreement, students in the W2 cohort will earn their B.S.N. at GW’s School of Nursing, fulfill their clinical rotations at the Hospital Center, and are guaranteed employment at the Hospital Center upon successful completion of W2.

MedStar Washington Hospital Center clinical educators will be appointed to the GW School of Nursing to supervise clinical rotations at the hospital and as faculty for the instructional portion of W2. These professionals also will participate in faculty meetings and serve on committees and workgroups.

“We’re very pleased about this partnership with MedStar Washington Hospital Center, a major teaching and research hospital, and look forward to collaborating with the expertise of Hospital Center nurse educators who will help educate and guide our accelerated B.S.N. students during their clinical experiences,” said Billinda Tebbenhoff, associate dean for undergraduate studies at the GW School of Nursing. Catherine Reisenberg, senior clinical nursing instructor at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, is the W2 program director and will coordinate the clinical component of the program with Dr. Tebbenhoff.

GW’s 15-month, on-campus accelerated B.S.N. is designed for students who earned a bachelor’s degree in another discipline and want to become nurses. It attracts applicants from recent college graduates to mothers interested in re-entering the workforce to professionals establishing a second or even third career.

“We deeply appreciate the critical thinking and professionalism these second-degree B.S.N. students provide,” said MedStar Washington Hospital Center Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive Susan Eckert. “That is why we are so thrilled to be partnering with the world-class nursing education at GW.”

GW SON requires that students interested in W2 complete the school’s regular admissions process. A separate application is necessary for W2, and the Hospital Center has discretion in selecting the W2 scholarship award recipients and clinical placements. Nine cohorts of students will likely be admitted to W2, with the first cohort admitted this fall, followed by cohort admissions each spring and fall semester until 2018.

The George Washington University School of NursingUnbound by tradition, the George Washington University School of Nursing is a school on the move that embraces innovation and entrepreneurism. Ranked in the top 10 percent of nursing schools by U.S. News & World Report, GW School of Nursing educates and inspires nurses to provide high-quality, compassionate person-centered healthcare. The school develops leaders actively engaged in health promotion, patient advocacy and healthcare innovation; and prepares exceptional nurse educators who pursue quality and advance the profession. The GW School of Nursing is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of people and communities locally, nationally and globally. The school values lifelong learning and its students advance nursing practice, leadership and education as they make a difference in the world.

MedStar Washington Hospital CenterMedStar Washington Hospital Center is a 926-bed, major teaching and research hospital. It is the largest private, not-for-profit hospital in the nation’s capital, among the 50 largest hospitals in the nation and a major referral center for the most complex tertiary services. It consistently ranks among the nation’s top hospitals as recognized by U.S. News & World Report. The Hospital Center is a respected top facility in the areas of cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology and GI surgery, geriatrics, gynecology, nephrology, orthopaedics, pulmonology and urology. It operates MedSTAR, one of the country’s top shock-trauma and medevac programs, and also operates the region’s only adult burn center.